A Moment is Worth a Hundred Words
by ElvenQueen18
Summary: A series of ten drabbles exploring various moments during the series. Contains plenty of character introspection, and pairings include Kurtty, Romy, and Bobilee, with mentions of Jott and one-sided Scogue.
1. A Glimpse of the Future

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I don't own X-Men: Evolution.

* * *

******A Glimpse of the Future**

It was over. The X-Men were able to defeat Apocalypse, and just in time, too. Certainly, it was a cause for celebration.

But all Professor Xavier could think of was the glimpses of the future he had seen while under Apocalypse's control. One such glimpse was particularly vivid: an image of Jean becoming a fiery, bird-shaped entity, intent on wreaking havoc across the planet, and likely the universe.

The X-Men were quite used to fighting against enemies, whether they posed a threat on a small scale or to the world at large. But the idea that one of their closest friends would one day become their greatest foe...Xavier didn't want to think about it for too long.

However, as a relieved Jean embraced him minutes after Apocalypse's defeat, he couldn't help the somber expression that crossed his face.


	2. Understanding

**Understanding**

Kitty getting annoyed with Kurt was nothing new. Heck, getting into minor arguments that blew over quickly was practically a ritual between them. She could almost say that maybe he secretly enjoyed their little tiffs just as much as she did (but then again, she could only be imagining it...).

But never before had Kitty felt so angry at Kurt.

This was beyond getting exasperated by his displeasure about her relationship with Lance, or getting jealous over his relationship with Amanda. Kitty thought she'd be able to cope with the insults and harassment by the mutant-hating kids at school if she had Kurt to back her and the rest of the X-Men up. But all Kurt was doing was denying he was friends with them, as if they didn't matter to him.

As if _Kitty_ didn't matter to him.

She found Kurt in the forest after school, and all the things she wanted to say to him were forgotten when he started ranting about the world hating him all his life and how he didn't want to give up being normal yet.

"Kurt..." Kitty's voice trailed off. She wanted to tell him that, now that she thought of it, she could understand where he was coming from, to a certain extent. After all, hadn't she been ridiculed at her old schools because of her intellect? And hadn't she once talked like a ditzy valley girl in order to "fit in"?

A part of Kitty was still angry, but a larger part had understood and accepted Kurt's apology before he'd given it.


	3. Fractured Memory

**Fractured Memory**

_He was floating in a large glass container filled with water, a breathing mask on his face and various tubes attached to his body._

_Long, metal claws erupted from his knuckles, and he used them to escape his watery prison._

_He wasted no time in leaving the dark facility, paying no mind to the bald, bespectacled scientist standing off to the side._

_He found himself in a forest, fighting a hulking, broad-shouldered man—Sabretooth._

Logan had been having that same dream for fifteen years.

And more than anything, he wished he could remember just what the hell had happened to him.


	4. Familial Connection

**Familial Connection**

It was almost ironic, Rogue thought. She had once described Kurt as like a little brother, and as it turned out, he actually _was_ her little brother.

Well, adopted brother, anyway.

Not like she'd acknowledge that fact out loud. While Kurt was ecstatic at the realization that they were siblings, Rogue maintained a frosty exterior on the subject.

"We're not related," she told him when he tried to get her to eat dinner. And she didn't bother to protest when he said she was in denial, because, in a way, it was true.

By acknowledging that she was Kurt's adopted sister, Rogue would be forced to acknowledge that she was also Mystique's adopted daughter. There was _no_ way she was going to go there.

And yet, as Kurt teleported out of the infirmary, Rogue allowed herself to smile a little. Despite her recent behavior towards him, she couldn't deny that she did love the blue furball.

After all, he _was_ her brother.


	5. From Cyclops to Gambit

**From Cyclops to Gambit**

Although Rogue had spent almost a year harboring a crush on Scott, she never had any real hope that he'd feel the same way. Not once had he expressed any romantic interest in her, and she didn't need to absorb him to know that.

Besides, the fact that Scott loved Jean was incredibly obvious.

But just because Rogue had let go of her feelings for Scott, it absolutely did not mean that she was falling for _Gambit_, of all people. She told herself that his flirtatious remarks towards her were in no way flattering, and that he was nothing but a manipulator who thought using her for his own ends was a good idea.

Not to mention that Gambit was clearly and unbelievably stupid. How on Earth could he say he wasn't afraid of Rogue's powers?

But there was a small part of Rogue that realized that Gambit had "kidnapped" her only to rescue his father. He'd done the wrong thing for the right reasons; she told him as much shortly before she left with the other X-Men.

And as she looked at the playing card Gambit had given her—the queen of hearts—Rogue felt unexpectedly...warm, she supposed.

She quickly decided it must have been the summer weather.


	6. Nighttime Farewell

**Nighttime Farewell**

When most people thought of unofficial couples at the Institute, the first pair to come to mind was either Scott and Jean or Kurt and Kitty. Most people didn't realize that there were other pairs who'd qualify as an unofficial couple.

One such pair was Bobby and Jubilee, who were currently standing out on the grounds of the destroyed mansion, the night breeze offering no comfort.

Bobby's voice broke the heavy silence. "So, when are your parents coming for you?"

"Early tomorrow morning," came Jubilee's reply. "I'll probably be gone before you wake up."

Ordinarily, Bobby might have taken that as Jubilee implying he was lazy, which would result in either some lighthearted banter or a childish argument. But these weren't ordinary circumstances, so Bobby remained silent. What was there to say, anyway? It wasn't like he could beg her not to leave...

Impulsively, before he had the chance to stop himself, Bobby leaned forward to give Jubilee a peck on the cheek. It was the closest he'd ever gotten to telling her how he felt about her.

"Have a safe trip home, then," he muttered, his throat suddenly feeling constricted. He turned away, deciding to head back to the underground bunker before he did something _really_ stupid. Like break down.

Bobby never noticed the stunned expression or the red blush on Jubilee's face.


	7. Belief

**Belief**

Scott had believed in angels as a child, ever since his parents and (as he'd believed for a long time) his brother were killed in that plane crash. The doctors told him that he was the only survivor; his mind had accepted it, but his heart refused to believe that Alex was gone forever.

So for a number of years afterward, Scott let himself think that Alex was still out there somewhere, being watched over by a guardian angel. As he got older, though, the logical part of his brain dismissed the notion of angels as a fanciful myth.

But as it turned out, Alex _was_ still alive, and considering that there now were multiple sightings of an angel flying around New York City...

Maybe the thought of angels existing wasn't as crazy as Scott assumed.


	8. A Temporary Goodbye

**A Temporary Goodbye**

When Evan first noticed that his mutation was rapidly evolving, his first reaction was confusion, followed by fear. At first, he couldn't retract his spikes as quickly as he usually did, and then spikes and bony plates, which could just barely be retracted at all, started appearing on his skin.

The incident with the Power-8 resulted in Evan meeting the Morlocks, and it was several hours later that he decided to stay in the sewers with them.

"Please don't worry about me, or look for me. I'm with friends. Goodbye, Auntie O."

Evan just hoped his Aunt Ororo knew he wasn't saying goodbye forever.


	9. After the Explosion

**After the Explosion**

The blood was still pounding in Kurt's ears after he'd teleported himself and Kitty into a back alley, away from the exploding train.

He now had both hands on Kitty's shoulders, stepping close to her as he looked her over.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked, concern in his voice.

"I'm fine," Kitty insisted, pushing his hands away. "Don't be such a—" She cut herself off with a gasp as she tried to walk. Kurt hurried to catch her by the waist as she stumbled.

_She must have twisted her ankle somehow,_ Kurt thought. Out loud, he said, "Keety, do me a favor and never scare me like zat again."

Kitty looked up at him, her hands currently on his chest. "Kurt," she said softly.

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't say anything more. They stared at each other in silence. As the seconds crawled by, Kurt became very aware that his hands were still on Kitty's waist, hers were still on his chest, and they were only a few centimeters apart.

For a few, wild seconds, Kurt seriously considered closing that distance and kissing Kitty right then and there.

But before he could decide whether or not to act on that thought, Kitty finally spoke. "We need to catch up with the others."


	10. Breakdown

**Breakdown**

X-23 was an assassin, designed to be the ultimate weapon. And she came to this mansion (a place where kids her age and older seemed so...normal and happy; she'd felt quite a few twinges of jealousy watching them) seeking revenge on the man who made that happen.

But when Wolverine told her that he was probably the closest thing she had to family, X-23 momentarily forgot her objective as tears, for the second time in less than an hour, spilled down her face.

It wasn't true; it _couldn't_ be true, no matter how much she wished it. She was trained from birth as a weapon, a monster. Monsters weren't supposed to have something as human as emotions, and monsters certainly didn't have families.

X-23, continuing to cry, barely registered, not only what Wolverine was saying, but also the hand that he'd placed on her back.


End file.
